As I may have mentioned before I have been some what passively looking for a new pony. I knew Midori didn't have the natural talent to take me places with the new direction we wanted to head (reining and reined cowhorse). She is great to tool around on and, while she is doing better now then I ever thought she would, she still has her issues. I've been keeping my eyes open and basically if the right horse came along, something that I clicked with for the right price and couldn't pass up, I'd get it.
My trainer was helping me look, but nothing felt right. I wasn't bummed about it, I still had Midori. Another local trainer in the area had a couple young horses come home from getting started and one of them was small. He had consigned her to the auction in Reno during the futurities, but was afraid with how small she was and the economy the way it was that it wouldn't even be worth taking her down there. He wanted someone small for her that would show her and knew that I was kinda sorta looking. He wanted me to have her and was prepared to make me a deal that got me interested.
I fell in love with her pretty much the moment I saw her. She is an absolute doll, so sweet and pretty darn chill for a baby.
Meet Buffy the Buffalo Slayer.
It's the name she came with and unfortunately, it stuck. I tried to change it, but every one already knew her as Buffy and I'd been calling her Buffy for about a month by the time I actually picked her up. It was a lost cause. I usually call her by some variation of Buffy...B, Buffardoo, Buffardoodle, Doodle...anything but Buffy. lol
She is a 2 year old out of a Shine Like Hail mare by Laredo Blue. My trainer has a gelding also by Laredo Blue and apparently he puts that head on a lot of his babies. It's not the cutest head, but it grows on ya. I just hope she grows into it! lol
She is a really strange color and it changes almost weekly. She looks really gray now, but not too long ago it was going to be bay roan on her papers. I'm not really sure what to put at this point! I'm pretty sure she'll end up gray, but she's not quite there right now.
Check out that ass though!
Love those nice Quarter Horse asses!
She's got quite a chest on her too for how small she is. She was 13:2 at the wither and 13:3 1/2 at the hip when I got her. I meant to measure her today, but forgot. She is probably just over 14HH at the hip right now and in the middle of a not so flattering growth spurt.
Her mom was short, a little over 14HH, but stout and super athletic looking. She was shown as a 3 year old in cow horse and did well. I think she's pretty much just been a broodmare since. B's sire, Laredo Blue, is apparently not to shabby of a cutting horse. I don't know much about bloodlines and such so I won't pretend like I do.
Doodle is a very curious pony. Of course, she's 2. She was in my face the whole time I was out there taking pics today.
Like, reeeeally in my face!
Despite her small stature, she doesn't ride like a little horse at all. She has a big stride and since I am only 5'2" we make a good pair. People are always surprised when we walk up to them after watching us go. They don't expect us to be so short.
These last two pics are from the first time I saw and rode her. The last picture is the one that sold me on her. Check out that smile! I LOVED her from the very beginning.
My goal with her is to do the NWRCHA futurity on her next year. I'm hoping she starts growing because I don't want to be looking those cows straight in the eye while I'm chasing them down the fence! If she doesn't grow and I don't feel like she's ready to go down the fence, I'll do one of the local reining futurities with her. She's already got a sweet little lead change, decent turn arounds and plants her butt when I say whoa. She is super talented and a total natural. I just need to get my stuff together and learn to stay out of her way!
If futurities don't work out I still have her derby year. I'm not going to push her faster then she's ready to go. My first priority with her, above all else, is to raise a good, solid horse.
